Sony Music Announces Massive Prince Catalog Deal

The vast majority of Prince's immense body of work will soon be housed under one roof for the first time, thanks to a new deal announced by his estate and Legacy Recordings.

Rolling Stone reports that the estate has inked a deal with Sony Music and Legacy Recordings, which includes the rights to 35 previously released Prince albums as well as an unspecified number of B-sides, remixes, live recordings, videos, and non-album tracks.

The first phase of this agreement includes albums Prince released after his departure from longtime label Warner Bros in the mid-'90s, including The Gold Experience, Emancipation and Musicology. No specific plans as to how or when these albums and songs will be reissued were revealed with this announcement.

Additionally, Legacy has also secured the future distribution rights to 12 classic Prince titles originally released by Warner Bros. between 1978 and 1996, although the deal does not include soundtracks such as Purple Rain and Parade. This means that some of Prince's most revered albums, including Dirty Mind, Controversy, 1999, Lovesexy and Sign o' the Times will be distributed by Legacy beginning in 2021.

There are one and possibly two new Prince albums headed our way shortly. Earlier this month, his estate announced that the previously unreleased Piano & a Microphone 1983 will arrive on Sept. 21 via Warner Bros.

"This raw, intimate recording, which took place at the start of Prince's career right before he achieved international stardom, is similar in format to the Piano & A Microphone Tour that he ended his career with in 2016," said Prince Estate entertainment adviser Troy Carter. "The estate is excited to be able to give fans a glimpse of his evolution and show how his career ultimately came full circle with just him and his piano."